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User blog:SPARTAN 119/Haradrim (Lord of the Rings) vs Albion Army (Zero No Tsukaima)
=Haradrim= Haradrim, also called in Westron the Southrons, were a race of Men from Harad in the region of Middle-earth directly south of Gondor. At the time of the War of the Ring, the Southrons were in league with Sauron and fought alongside his orc army, riding atop gigantic, elephant-like Mûmakil. Once Sauron was destroyed, the Southrons joined forces with the Easterlings and Variags and their Kings started war on King Elessar, as well as off-continent enemies from since before the First Age. The Haradrim are said to be skilled archers and horsemen. In battle, they usually drove their Mûmakil into the enemy's ranks, causing terror and panic; with their foes in disarray, the Haradrim then flung spears and fired arrows down upon them from the covered canvas frame atop the mûmak. Their bows, possibly of compound design, were made out of composite materials like antlers and wood and used bamboo arrows from leather or bamboo quivers. =Albion Army= Albion is one of the nations on the paralell world of Halkegnia, a fantasy world where widespread use of magic led to a roughly 17th century technology level and a medieval society where magic-using nobles rule over non-magical "commoners". Albion is situated on a magically floating island, making it an obvious paralell to the the British Isles (all of the ZnT world seen thus far is a paralell of medieval Europe). Saito Hiraga, a normal Japanese teenager who was transported into the world of Halkegnia (who happened to gain the power to wield any weapon with the skill of an expert as a side effect of the summoning), summoned as the "familiar" of Louse Valliere La Blanc, a tempermental mage-in training in the country of Tristain (a parallel of Belgium or the Netherlands, based on its location between "Gallia" and "Germania"), first encounters the nation of Albion in the first season, when it is in the process of a hostile take over by an organization know as Reconquista, led by a man named "Cromwell" (sound familiar from somewhere?). Anyway, tensions break out between Tristain and Albion, and the two countries go to war. The first invasion is crushed when Saito gets control of an World War II-era A6M Zero fighter and proceeds to shoot down a squadron of Albion dragon-knights, before Louise annihilates a fleet of magical floating ships with her "void magic" powers. Albion later prepares a second invasion, Tristain's forces launch a counterattack, culminating in Saito fighting and hold off an army of 70,000, taking out several hundred before being badly wounded, surviving only as he was rescued by an elf living in hiding in a nearby forest. The Albion Army consists of both commoners and mages. The commoner forces are mainly armed with either swords, pikes, or longbows, though according the to novel, some of them do carry flintlock muskets. The mages all carry identical staffs, and attack using fireballs that have a charge up time of a few seconds before firing. The fireballs seem to travel slower than a bullet, as they can be seen flying through the air, although this could be an artifact of Saito's near superhuman speed. The Albion Army also have massive roughly 25-30 foot tall troll-like creatures armed with clubs as heavy forces and large bombard cannons for artillery, each one of the guns have a barrel length three to four times the height of an average man. All of the units appear to wear at least a steel helmet, with some wearing a steel cuirass and or shoulder guards. The mages all wear capes. =Weapons= Swords Scimitar (Haradrim) The term "scimitar" is derived from the Italian scimitarra, a word used to refer to a curved, Middle Eastern Sword. The term refers to a curved, typically single-edged sword used in the Middle East and parts of Southeast and South Asia. While its is possible to thrust with a scimitar, the weapon is primarily designed for slashing attacks. The term may actually refer to several styles of curved sword. Longsword (Albion) The term "longsword" refers to a longer sword than the arming sword, while having the same basic shape of the arming sword, but having a length of up to about one and a half meters, designed more for thrusting, but still capable of cutting. The sword was used from the mid 1300s to the mid 1500s. The weapon was also known as a "hand and a half", as it can be used one or two handed. The Longsword fell out of favor in military service starting around the 1520s, with the introduction of the Swiss Sabre. 119's Edge The Haradrim Scimitar could be deadly on horseback, but the Albion Longsword is a more useful all-around weapon. Edge: Albion Army Polearms Halberd (Haradrim) The halberd was a European polearm widely used by northern European armies such as the Swiss, Germans, and Burgundians. The weapon was effective as it allowed a foot soldier to combat cavalry by using the spear head to prevent cavalry from closing in, the hook for pulling knights off horseback, and the axe head for delivering a killing blow capable of piercing armor. The weapon was, like the pike commonly used by forces of peasant conscripts or rebels, as it was cheap, yet efficient to use. The Swiss were known to be especially skilled with the halberd. With the increased adoption of firearms, use of the halberd decreased in favor of the longer pike, which worked better in "pike and shot" formations. Nonetheless, the Halberd continued to the used as a secondary weapon for close combat, and later, in the 1700s, as a mostly ceremonial weapon of non-commissioned officers. The weapon is still used for ceremonial purposes by the Swiss Guard of the Vatican, though they obviously use modern firearms for actual police duties. The Haradrim differs from its real-life counter part only in cosmetic terms, for instance, the Haradrim halberd has an outward curving "half-moon"-shaped axe blade. Pike (Albion) A pike is, quite simply, a long spear. The first major military use of pikes occurred under Phillip of Macedon, who used a variation of the ancient Greek phalanx formation using pikes or sarissa. This tactic was later used to great effect by Phillip's son Alexander the Great. The pike fell out of favor until the late Middle Ages, when it was found that pikes were effective, cheap anti-cavalry weapons when used in formation, which could easily be used by peasants with little training. As such, pikes were used extensively by the Scots, the Flemish, and the Swiss in the 1300s. During the late Middle Ages and Renaissance period, pikes became staple of European armies. Pikemen were often deployed in formation with crossbowmen and early firearms such as the Hand Cannon and later the Matchlock Musket, in what was known as the "pike and shot" formation. These formations were used through Europe during the 1500s and 1600s, and a similar formation was adopted in Japan by Oda Nobunaga, combining yari, or Japanese pikes and tanegashima- Japanese matchlocks. Nobunaga used this formation to great effect at the Battle of Nagashino, wiping out the elite Takeda cavalry. Pikes fell out of favor after the invention of the Bayonet rendered them unnecessary, as each musketeer could now double as a pikeman. The pike would occasionally be used in later conflicts, mostly peasant uprisings when firearms were in short supply. 119's Edge The Pike is longer and will ward off the Haradrim cavalry, but its effectiveness against Mumakil is dubious. The halberd, on the other hand has similar anti-cavalry utility, but is handier in close combat. Edge: Haradrim Ranged Weapons Composite Bow and Javelins (Haradrim) Composite Bow The Haradrim use a composite bow similar to that used by various Middle Eastern and Asian cultures throughout history including the Parthians, Persians, Huns, Saracens, Mongols, and the Turks. The Haradrim composite bow is made of layers of antler, wood, and bamboo and has a recurve design. The bow has high velocity on release, but lacks the range of a longbow. This makes it a useful weapon for horse archers firing at closer ranges Javelins A javelin, is quite simply, a spear designed primarily to be thrown. Javelins often have a narrow head for better armor penetration, and are often shorter and lighter in design than thrusting spears, rarely exceeding six feet in length. The Haradrim use javelins primary as thrown weapons from the back of the their massive, elephant-like Mumakil. Longbow and Flintlock Musket (Albion) Longbow The English longbow, also known as the Welsh longbow, is a well-known bow and arrow known for its use by British forces in the Hundred Years War at battles such as Crecy and Agincourt. The longbow was generally about five to six feet long, the length allowing for greater draw strength. The bow is described by a period source, Gaston III, count of Foix in 1380 as "of yew or boxwood, seventy inches m between the points of attachment for the cord". The bow was used in warfare in England from about 1280 to 1600. The weapon saw extensive use first by Welsh rebels against the English, and later British forces in various conflicts including the invasion of Scotland and later the Hundred Years War. The Longbow saw limited use in the English Civil War, however, by then, it had been largely supplanted by the Matchlock Musket. The Albion army, as one expect given that they are essentially a parallel to the British, have a large contingent of archers, who were deployed against Saito Hiraga, and, along with magic attacks and cannon fire, would have killed him were not for the intervention of his magic sword, Derflinger, and Tiffania Westwood, an elf living in the woods nearby. Flintlock Musket The flintlock musket is a smoothbore long arm operated using the flint lock mechanism. The flintlock mechanism works by using a spring-loaded striker to strike a piece of flint, creating a spark. This spark ignites a small amount of gunpowder in a priming pan, which in turn fires off the main charge. The flintlock musket was the standard issue weapon for European soldiers for over 100 years from the late 1600s to the early 1800s, with weapons such as the British Brown Bess Musket and French Charleville gaining renown for their use in conflicts of the era. Flintlock muskets were finally replaced in the early 1800s by rifles- firearms with grooves drilled into the barrel, making the bullet spin for greater accuracy, and precussion weapons using a cap filled with mercury fulminate, a substance that explodes when struck, as an ignition mechanism. In Halkeginia, presumably including Albion, firearms have advanced to the point where flintlock weapons exist, however, they are not as widely used as their real-life counterparts due to the prevalence of magic on the battlefield. However, they are one of the few weapons that have the potential to even the odds of a non-magical commoner against a mage. 119's Edge The superior range of the Albion Longbow, along with the short range firepower and psychological impact of the muskets on an enemy who have never seen gunpowder before take the edge. The gunfire could spook the Haradrim horses and possible even Mumakil. Edge: Albion Heavy Weapons Mumakil and Cavalry (Haradrim) Mumakil Mumakil are massive elephant-like animals in the Lord of the Rings universe. While they are similar in appearance to elephants, Mumakil are much larger, being several stories tall. The Haradrim have domesticated Mumakil, and use them much like Earthly war elephants, using their massive size to trample through the enemy forces, while firing arrows and javelins down on their foes from the towers mounted on top. As intimidating as they appear to be, Mumakil are not without their weaknesses. A single strike with a sword to the back of the leg is enough to bring a Mumakil to its knees, and they can also be vulnerable to well-placed arrows to certain weak points. Like elephants, damaged from sustained fire could cause them to go berserk and trample their own troops (as well as obviously bring them down eventually. Finally, while no such weapons exist in the LoTR universe, against a foe armed with cannons (such as Albion), Mumakil would prove to be very easy targets, possibly falling to a single well placed shot. Cavalry The Haradrim are also noted to be skilled cavalrymen. While this is conjecture, their favoring composite bows suggests that they are competent horse archers, similar to the Mongols. Bombard and Trolls (Albion) Bombard The bombard was a crude type of cannon used in the late Middle Ages, firing a stone, or later metal ball. The weapon's effectiveness depended greatly on the amount of powder used, which was not always known in the Middle Ages- too little, and the cannon would not have enough power to damage castle walls, or in the case of smaller cannon, pierce armor. Too much powder, and the gun would explode. When the proper powder charges were used, the cannon could cut down armored knights and blast through castle walls. For the purposes of this match, the Albion gunners will have and understanding of the proper powder charge. The Albion Army is shown to use bombards with three-to-four times as long as man is tall. While not very mobile, these weapons would no doubt fire a large, powerful ball that would cause devastating damage on impact. Troll In addition to their regular forces, mages, and artillery, the Albion Army also use trolls which appear to be about ten meters tall, armed with massive spiked clubs. These would no doubt prove to be devastating shock troops, capable of cutting down rows of men with a single swings of their clubs, and would likely take sustained arrow fire to bring down, and melee weapons would be practically useless against them. 119's Edge As intimidating as the Mumakil are sure to be, In my opinion, concentrated longbow, musket, and, in particular, cannon fire from the Albion Ranks will be able to hold them off before they can bring their massive tusks to bear. Edge: Albion =Order of Battle= Haradrim Army Footmen x 500 *Scimitar *Halberd Foot Archers x 500 *Composite Bow *Scimitar 100x Cavalry *Composite Bow *Scimitar 10x Mumakil *Tusks *Trampling *Back-Mounted Tower **5x Archers armed with Composite bows and Javelins Albion Army Pikemen x500 *Pike *Longsword Archers x500 *Albionese Longbow *Longsword Musketeers x100 *Flintlock Muskets *Longsword Trolls x 20 *Giant Size *Spiked Club Bombard Cannons x 10 *Roundshot *Grapeshot =X-Factors= NOTE: There will be no mages present with the Albion Forces. Explanations The Haradrim and Albion Army are probably about even in terms of experience, however, the Haradrim's use of cavalry archers spearheaded by Mumakil gives them an edge in terms of tactics. On the other hand, The Albion Army have the superior technology of gunpowder, which the Haradrim would have never seen before. Albion's cannon could proved devastating against the Mumakil if employed correctly. Finally, in terms of training Albion probably takes a slight edge by the simple virtue of being a more organized army, and the fact that with technological advancement, training tends to improve as well. =Battle= Ten Mumakil of a Haradrim Army loomed large in on the opposite side of the field, surrounded 100 horsemen and 1000 infantry, slowly advancing across the fields. Opposing them were a group of Albion Army, newly arrived from a portal into Middle Earth. They carried with them weapons this world had never seen before: muskets and cannon. On the order of the commander of the Albion Army, the ten massive bombards opened up on their foe. The guns gave off a thunderous roar as ten metal balls flew towards the Haradrim. The first shot impacted a group of Haradrim cavalry, blasting them into the air, as, at the same time, a cannonball struck a Mumakil right between the eyes. The great beast slumped over, killed instantly, the tower of its back collapsing as it fell. A second Mumakil was felled by the cannon fire, as were dozens of Haradrim soldiers. The Haradrim were shocked by the power of the new weapons, but kept moving forward. Soon, their foe would be in range of their arrows. At about two hundred yards, the Haradrim foot archers drew back their bows. A cloud of bamboo and steel flew out at the Albion army. Some of the arrows simply glanced off their plate armor, but some struck home. Some of the arrows ran through the head, bringing a quick death to their targets, however, other struck in limbs or the lower torso, bring excruciating pain, rather than immediate death. As the arrow made their impact, the Haradrim cavalry charged forth, firing arrows as they reached about 100 meters distance. A few Albion pikemen went down, but the rest stood firm. The Albion musketeers took aim from between the gaps in the pikemen, and the longbowmen fired above them. A could of smoke arose from the Albion line as the musketeers fired, shooting Haradrim cavalrymen off their horses, as arrows pierced their armor. Unable to break the Albion lines, the cavalry retreated. However, the Mumakil and infantry kept advancing forth, now only about 100 yards. The archers on top of the Mumakil fired arrows down on their foes, cutting down Albion soldiers seemingly at random. Through the chaos, the Albion commander yelled, "Stand firm! Artillery, target the elephants!" An Albion bombard crew who had just finished reloading turned the gun on the nearest Mumakil and fired. The blew through the great beast, causing it to let out a shout of pain as it fell to the ground, dead. The rest of the cannons fired, cutting down six of the surviving Mumakil. One of the remaining Mumakil was wounded by arrow and musket fire, while another had the tower on its back blown clean off. The giant elephants went berserk, trampling men, both Haradrim and Albion. One of the Mumakil knocked an Albion troll aside, before breaking through the lines and smashing a cannon to pieces. While the berserk Mumakil had broken through, the fierce resistance of the Albion infantry kept the Haradrim from taking advantage of the breach. Musket fire cut down rows of men, Trolls crushed the Haradrim under their giant clubs, while the Albion infantry's longswords proved more effective than the Haradrim scimitars in close-in melee. While the main ranks held off the Haradrim infantry, two smaller units surrounded the berserk Mumakil. Dozens of the men and two trolls were trampled by the beasts, however, the Albion musketeers and archers brought their weapons to bear on the creature's ankles. As the last two Mumakil were brought to their knees and were finally overwhelmed, the Haradrim infantry were forced into retreat. Even after they turned and fled, hundreds more were shot dead by arrows and muskets, or else cut down by retreating Albion troops. Less than quarter of those Haradrim who went into battle left the fight alive. WINNER: Albion Army Expert's Opinion While the Mumakil were formadible adversaries and the Haradrim were masters of mounted warfare, the Albion Army had much more advanced technology, most notably muskets and cannon. The cannon could eliminate the Mumakil from a range, while the musket fire was effective in volleys, and had as much a psychological impact on soldiers unfamiliar with gunpowder as it did a direct impact. To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here Category:Blog posts